ORLANDO, Fla. -- You could see it in Michael Robinson's eyes.

Red and teary, they showed not one single strong emotion, but rather several feelings converging and coming through to the surface.

The redshirt freshman quarterback had just played his first important minutes behind center in a Penn State uniform and was upset about being pulled late in Penn State's 13-9 loss to Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.

"As a competitor, it makes you mad," he said, framing his answer as best he could in a post-game locker room full of rancor. "You want to go out there and have the chance to win. If you've done some good things out there, then you are going to feel like you can go out and do some more to help your team win."

To his right, defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy questioned Penn State's offensive strategy and to his left, running back Larry Johnson said over and over he should have gotten the ball more often.

Robinson, who entered the game late in the third quarter and led the Lions to a field goal, was more careful and restrained with his comments. Across from him sat Zack Mills, the starting quarterback and player most responsible for bringing Penn State from the land of mediocrity to the brink of national prominence once more.

The two were less than five yards apart. Both were dazed. Neither had answers.

"I don't know what's going to happen next year," Robinson said. "Hopefully this starts something good."

And Mills: "As far as I know, I'm the starter. Until somebody tells me otherwise, that's how I'm going to go about it."

Maybe it was only fitting that, in a season when Joe Paterno created multiple controversies, the bowl game ended up being the beginning of intense speculation rather than a joyous send-off for a senior class that endured many hardships.

Several young players saw significant time in the game and Paterno spoke at length about which players he expected to step up during his day-after press conference. Several of the young defensive linemen saw significant time and were in the game for key situations. Also, wide receiver Tony Johnson, who will probably be the go-to-weapon next season, had one of the better games of his career.

Yet, no situation hangs over this team like Mills v. Robinson.

Despite losing its only 2,000-yard rusher, Larry Johnson, four of his blockers and the second-leading receiver in school history, Bryant Johnson, Penn State's football future may hang on the most intriguing quarterback battle in program history.

"I'll talk to Zack and I'll talk to Mike [this offseason]," Paterno said. "They are both fine quarterbacks and they're both going to compete for the job."

Against Auburn, Mills completed 8-of-24 passes for 67 yards and threw a late-game interception.

That interception was symptomatic of one of Penn State's biggest problems this year. All four losses were close (a total of 20 points) and could have been won with better execution late.

The Lions were 2-4 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including two overtime losses.

But when Mills returned to the game with 2:19 left, the Lions were unorganized and flustered. Mills threw two incomplete passes and on third-and-10 there was confusion about the play call.

A misunderstood splice of verbiage caused the receivers to run a different route than Mills thought they were going to. His pass never reached Tony Johnson.

On the sideline, Robinson fidgeted.

He had completed two of the three passes, though one was a screen pass that lost yardage and the other was a fade thrown up for grabs that Tony Johnson came down with.

He ran five times for 33 yards, but could not covert a third-and-three from the Auburn 12 on his first drive, losing three yards and forcing Penn State to settle for a field goal and 9-7 lead. However, on that play, his coaches apparently told Robinson to keep the ball and ensure the field goal, playing it conservatively in hopes the Lions defense would hold and because Robinson had thrown a total of 17 passes all year.

When he next touched the ball, Robinson took the snap on his own 1-yard line and could not get a first down, throwing his only pass attempt over Bryant Johnson, who did not have a catch for the first time in 23 games.

Ronnie Brown scored the game-winning touchdown on the ensuing drive.

So both Mills and Robinson sat in the locker room thinking mostly of how things could have been different.

And ultimately, they had no choice but to think about how things would change.

Robinson said he believed the quarterback situation had become a bit foggier.

Mills assured the media that he had expected a challenge from Robinson all along.

Both claimed that they were close friends and relished the chance to push each other.

Mills, who took over for Matt Senneca midway through the 2001 season, is the better passer and was bothered by shoulder and elbow injuries during the second half of the season.

Robinson is the newest technology, built in the mold of Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb. And like those two, he is anxious to show that he can be an effective passing quarterback.

Paterno, known for sticking by his older players, is encouraging the match-up.

While in Orlando, he said that Robinson was further along at this stage in his career than Mills was. So it's possible that he truly believes Robinson will displace a player who shattered the school's freshman and sophomore passing records.

Or, this could be a motivation tactic for Mills, who threw for just 851 yards in the final seven games of the season. While those numbers are partly a result of Larry Johnson's emergence, Mills showed an inability to throw against defenses that stacked the line to stop the run attack (which both Ohio State and Auburn did).

"When I talk to Zack," Paterno said, "I'll tell him what a great football player he is and that if you let one or two football games lick you, you're not the kid I think you are."